Corals are doing very poorly? :(

[clowntank]

I think I added too many corals to fast.. My biocube has been set up for a little over a month now (started with cycled water and cured LR/LS)... (around three weeks ago) I added a torch coral, a week later I added a Xenia, then another torch in a few days.. The torch corals did fine at first, then a week later the first one closed up, then the other. But my xenia has been doing great?? Idk what is going on. one of the torches is so closed up it has a white cover over all of its tentacles. :(

The corals have good flow, and the temperature is 79. I also took some water to my LFS to get it tested, in which they told me everything was perfect. They told me sometimes corals just don't do well in a biocube, and I could take them back for credit if I wanted to.. Would it be best to just take one back and see if the other one has enough to stabilize out or should I just leave them?

 

[cthegame]

You know your own answer. 1 month is too soon to add a bunch of corals. You need to give the tank a chance to adjust to new additions and adding many at the same time into a newly cycled tank can be overwhelming.

I would give them back and move forward slowly.

 

[dustin_P74]

the reason your xenia is doing so well is because xenia do great in a nutrient rich environment

 

[yote]

+1 Game and Dustin

 

[clowntank]

Ok, well I'm taking the torches back shortly..
Is it over for those corals, if they have retracted so much you can see there skeletons?

 

[yote]

Ok, well I'm taking the torches back shortly..
Is it over for those corals, if they have retracted so much you can see there skeletons?

You never know.I've seen some come back,while others didnt.Depends on just how far gone they are.

 

[Rcpilot]

A month is NOTHING.

You need to cycle a tank and then just plan on staring at the damn thing for another month.

Add ONE coral and watch it for a month......... or TWO months.

This is not drag racing. This is a SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW hobby. If you have the type of personality that wants the perfectly manicured tank all stocked right now--I'd suggest you just sell it all. This hobby isn't for the impatient.

 

[lightcs4]

This is not drag racing. This is a SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW hobby. If you have the type of personality that wants the perfectly manicured tank all stocked right now--I'd suggest you just sell it all. This hobby isn't for the impatient.

Being broke really helps in this hobby too! :mrgreen: Can't put corals and fish in too quickly if you can't pay for them :grumble:

 

[yote]

Being broke really helps in this hobby too! :mrgreen: Can't put corals and fish in too quickly if you can't pay for them :grumble:

Yep.You cant rush it if you cant buy it.This probably the ONLY hobby where its actually be broke.

 

[mng777777]

The talk you heard about corals not doing well in a biocube is due to the water parameters and poor lighting that can be associated with a biocube. make sure you have good lighting, and stay on top of your water. you shouldn't have any trouble with just 3 corals in a biocube. I assume that the trouble you are having is due to you not properly cycling your tank, however as you start adding more corals, it will become increasingly more important to test your water and do frequent changes. The water changes ensure there are enough trace elements for the corals to survive. Depending on how heavily you plan to stock it with corals and how frequently you change your water, you may need to supplement to keep your levels in line, but you should never dose anything you are not testing for. One last thought, make sure that as you are adding new corals, they are placed appropriately for their preference for water flow.

 

[lightcs4]

The talk you heard about corals not doing well in a biocube is due to the water parameters and poor lighting that can be associated with a biocube. make sure you have good lighting, and stay on top of your water. you shouldn't have any trouble with just 3 corals in a biocube. I assume that the trouble you are having is due to you not properly cycling your tank, however as you start adding more corals, it will become increasingly more important to test your water and do frequent changes. The water changes ensure there are enough trace elements for the corals to survive. Depending on how heavily you plan to stock it with corals and how frequently you change your water, you may need to supplement to keep your levels in line, but you should never dose anything you are not testing for. One last thought, make sure that as you are adding new corals, they are placed appropriately for their preference for water flow.

+1 mng777777. Well said.

 

[newreefinsc]

Check out my thread in "Tank showcase" and see how hard I made things on myself. After cycling, you can add corals, but there are other things you need to do to get the tank ready.